LarkFest 2011: Unexpected Awesomeness

When I read about LarkFest happening on Saturday, I figured it was just another street fair with live music. But yesterday ended up being so much more fun and awesome… and ridiculous.

Collin had a study group that morning, so I planned to meet up with them when they were done to check out LarkFest. Turns out some of Collin’s friends have lived in Albany for a while and knew just how to make the most of this event.

I met up with Collin and got introduced to his new friends around 1:30pm, and then we headed off to our first bar of the day: DeJohns. Yeah, I haven’t done the day drinking thing since college, but I wouldn’t say no to a deliciously dangerous blue slushie. Thanks to his determination and talent, one of the guys got free stuff from the Bacardi girls and snagged us all invites to the private party upstairs. That meant a quieter, less crazy bar scene with a side of free drinks and food. YES.

As to why the Bacardi party had Heineken cups, who knows. We got free Bacardi beanies though, so it got even better. After fueling up (very necessary) and consuming Very Strong Drink #2, we headed out the check out the streets. There’s a permit for this festival that allows drinking in public, so we could carry our drinks in the street. Is it nerdy that I think that’s cool?

Paparazzi:

There were more opportunities to pitch up swag in the streets, and people would even attempt to barter for other goodies. Beads, as you can guess, are always a popular choice.

Our last bar stop, including a necessary bathroom break and a minor “I thought I lost my phone but it was in a different pocket in my bag” moment, was at Elda’s on Lark. It was very packed, but somehow, somewhere, one of Collin’s friends picked up many more freebies (serious skill there). We then got a few light beers and headed outside. Since I’m such a lightweight that I wouldn’t want to drive after drinking anything, it was established early on that Collin would drive home. That meant that I was kind enough to take care of his last drink for him.

Hello weird face! Let’s just say it’s probably indicative of my state of mind: goofy and ridiculous. We spent some time hanging out by the stage, enjoying the music, before heading out. Collin and I got home around 7pm and that’s when my hangover was starting to kick in. I had not eaten a ton that day or consumed enough water, so it hit me hard. Oops. We ordered some pizza and I attempted to watch TV with Collin while falling asleep on and off. An excellent day of fun and ridiculousness.